Friday, October 18, 2013

When I
wrote my All Things Dog Blog debut article, 10 Tips for Fido’s Longest Life, I purposely avoided ranking the
recommendations according to merit.But
I promise you that vying for first place on the list is nutrition.

In
humans, many chronic medical conditions are related to diet. It’s common knowledge that nutrition
correlates to both quality and quantity of life. “Eat your vegetables,” is a mom’s mantra. In contrast, no one encourages their kids to
eat more processed foods.

Yet
unknowingly, many people feed their dogs junk food, day in and day out. For example, here’s the ingredient list for
one of the most popular, readily available diets on the market:

Please note that the front of the bag has pictures of
veggies seductively swirling with chunks of meat, but inside the bag, carrots
and peas are less plentiful than sugar and salt. Legally, ingredients must be listed in order of
abundance, with the largest quantity listed first. By virtue of their place on the list,
vegetables are practically nonexistent in this diet.

I’ll
leave you and your veterinarian to determine the best diet for your dog, because
ultimately there is no one-size-fits-all superior choice, but here are some
basic rules of thumb:

1.Don’t get fooled by the
packaging, marketing, and advertising.
Become a label reader! Even
though almost all commercially available diets are “nutritionally balanced”,
that doesn’t mean they are optimally healthful for your dog.

2.Dogs are omnivores (eating
both meat and vegetation), but I want to see meat as the first ingredient on a
dog food label, not corn.

3. Generally, you get what you pay
for. There’s a reason you can buy 40
pounds of dog food for $18 at the big box stores. High quality ingredients are costly. But pay now or pay later! By feeding a high quality diet, you will
likely save on vet bills in the short and long term (commonly for skin and
gastrointestinal problems). Feed the
best diet you can afford.

4.Don’t be afraid of variety!

5.Home-prepared
and raw diets aren’t for everyone, but my patients that are on balanced home cooked or raw diets often
thrive. They typically have clean teeth,
trim waistlines, and enjoy long healthy lives.
I prefer formulated home cooked diets over raw diets, because of the
inherent risks associated with handling/feeding raw meat. Please understand there is room for serious
error in home cooking/raw feeding.
Vitamin/mineral supplementation is required and must be done correctly
to avoid creating dangerous nutritional deficiencies/imbalances. Consult your
veterinarian for advice, and keep in mind that board certified veterinary
nutritionists can create custom, balanced recipes for your dog.

Dr. Julie Buzby is a homeschooling mom of seven, American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and International Veterinary Acupuncture Society certified holistic veterinarian, and passionate advocate for canine mobility.In her free time she serves on the Advisory Board for The Grey Muzzle Organization. She can be found at Twitter @DrBuzby and on Facebook.com/ToeGrips. You'll also find more of Dr. Julie's posts at our Ask the Vet Archives page.You may also enjoy reading her recent articles:

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